Closure Device

ABSTRACT

A closure device used in the food industry is equipped with a tamper indicating means. The closure device includes a cap and a tamper indicating means fixed to the cap through loose strength connection, and this tamper indicating means being equipped with a fixing element and a gripper fixed in the cap wall.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This utility patent application claims priority to Russian application serial no. 2010133727 filed on Aug. 12, 2010, which is incorporated by reference herein.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The technical solution relates to closure devices used in the food industry and represents a closure device equipped with a tamper indicating means.

BACKGROUND

Beverage producers are interested in protecting against unauthorized tampering of their products before they are opened by consumer. For this purpose, closure devices have tamper-evident means to show whether pre-sales opening has occurred.

Various tamper indicating means have been available, however, it is very difficult to meet all conflicting requirements of users. On one hand, closure devices placed on bottles have had a rather high failure rate with unintentional destruction or damages to closure device or the bottle. On the other hand, a closure device being finally installed, an indicating means shall be reliably fixed below a hold-up element of the closure device; at that, the requirements made by bottle producers to such complete reliable fixation are getting higher and higher.

Closure devices have included a protective lock for bottles and the like comprising a discharge element, cylindrical sleeve with an internal lug to support a discharging element, a cap, a threaded joint between the cap and the discharge element to be unscrewed and screwed on, and a preventing tape including a ring and a loose connection. The cylindrical sleeve has outer denticles made so that to engage the inner denticles of the ring upon unscrewing of the cap for the first time. The ring is divided at least into two physically independent elements through slots. The above mentioned outer denticles are made inside an internal groove formed by a beveled edge in the cylindrical sleeve.

This design does not indicate whether a bottle may have been emptied and refilled with a counterfeit liquid without visual indications of such tampering by an exterior view of the preventing lock and bottle.

Another device is a capper for a bottle with liquid, including a dispenser cork comprising a body with inlets and outlets and a closure element made as a movable ball located inside a conical insert to the bigger diameter of which a spherical gasket adjoins, located so that to be capable of moving along the axis The upper part of an element of the surface of the dispenser cork body is made with ring grooves and a thread, the lower part of the said surface comprises windows, the lower faces of which has inward fixing elements. The dispenser cork is fixed in the metal cap being ring fullered, the dispenser cork cap has an ear being folded mechanically with a continuous ring groove while assembling the bottle capper and a metal cap is made as an individual item.

This design may have insufficient tightness provided upon closing, and insufficient reliability of tamper control though the process of the product manufacturing, assembly and installation on a bottle is rather complicated.

Another device is a protective bottle cap equipped with a tamper indicating means, including a metal casing and a screw plastic sleeve with a tamper indicating means, connected to a casing through a tight mechanical fit or adhesive, featuring with an additional splitter comprising an internal cavity and a filling hole, having an external thread engaging with the sleeve thread. An indicating means represents an indicating belt in a form of eccentric fitting, running outline in the lower part of the screw sleeve. The metal casing consists of two adjoining parts the edges of which are folded in the indicating belt, however, one of the two edges is capable of releasing upon the cap being unscrewed and the visible belt part being seen thus indicating the first opening. Some parts of the indicating belt are of loose strength, in particular, a perforated one.

The protective bottle cap is rather complicated but may also be an insufficiently reliable design which does not meet high requirements of consumer quality or high production rate, affordable price and increased convenience in use.

The design may also have insufficient tightness provided upon closing and insufficient reliability of tamper control though the process of the product assembly and installation on a bottle is rather complicated.

Still another technology is a closure device comprising a handle, one cap at least, one fixing sleeve at least, and a break-away belt connected to the fixing sleeve(s) and/or the handle(s) and/or the cap(s) capable of easy disconnecting. The use of the handle increases the sealing capacity of the closure device. The handle in combination with the elements of the fixing sleeve and a bottle collar provides reliable fixation of the closure device. The cap is a protective means and improves the aesthetics of the closure device. The break-away belt is easily disconnected thanks to the perforated line between the fixing sleeve and the handle or the cap.

The device is reliably fixed on the collar of a bottle (vessel) to be opened and visually demonstrates the opening occurred. Unfortunately, the cost of the handle employed results in a price increase and makes the assembly process more complicated. These facts tangibly affect the end user in terms of the product price increased, that in turn reduce the market competitive ability of the product and the producer.

SUMMARY

The technology described herein is a reliable design of a closure device equipped with a tamper indicating means, which should meet the high consumer quality requirements accompanied with affordable price and, finally, should increase the convenience in use.

In one general aspect, a closure device includes a cap and a tamper indicating means fixed to the cap through loose strength connection. The tamper indicating means is equipped with a fixing element and a gripper fixed in the cap wall.

Embodiment may use one or more of the following features. For example, a splitter joint or dispense can be used for distribution of liquid flow. As another feature, a part of the closure device is made as a closed or unclosed cylinder.

The fixing element comprises may have a lug located on the opposite side versus the side with the loose strength connection, the lug extending along the entire cylinder circumference in equal or unequal intervals. The lug of the fixing element may be fixed to the part of the closure device through a strong connection or connection with a loose perforated strength. It can be configured as a truncated cone thus creating an angle between the walls of the part of the closure device being a tamper indicating and the lug walls, the attribute angle varying from 5 to 175 degrees based on the device operation conditions.

The fixing element can be configured to interact with part of a closed bottle collar through engaging the fixing element lug against the collar, that is necessary to limit the movement of the closure device along the longitudinal axis. The fixing element can also be configured to interact with a lower surface of a closed bottle collar fillet through engaging the fixing element lug against the collar fillet, that is necessary to limit the movement of the closure device along the longitudinal axis.

The closed bottle collar can have lugs that interact with the lugs of the closure device, and/or with lugs of the fixing element. For example, the lugs can have a slant orientation along the horizontal axis of the device, which limits the rotation of the part made as a tamper indicating means only with direction.

The cap of the closure device may be configured as a cylinder closed from one butt end, thus forming an internal cavity and one upper wall. Surfaces of the internal cavity walls can be covered with single-start thread or multiple-start thread or a lug(s) and/or a hitch(es) engaging with the thread or the lugs and/or hitches of the closed bottle collar.

A ring-shaped sealing lug can be embedded on the surface of the upper wall of the internal cavity. An outer surface of the cap of the closure device may be corrugated and the gripper may be corrugated symmetrically or asymmetrically versus a cap corrugation pattern. The butt end of the cap may have an indent. The cap can also be equipped with a slot to fix a gripper so that the slot allows is flush to the gripper.

The device can be made of polymeric materials of contrast or different color compared to the color of the cap of the closure device.

A slot of the cap of the closure device can be oriented with a slant along the longitudinal axis the closure device. The cap of the closure device may also contain an additional polymeric gasket and/or a sleeve. A thread of a collar of the closed bottle or the separable part of the closure device may have grooves required to remove gases emitted while opening sparkle liquids.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 shows a partial cross-section of the closure device in the closed state.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The proposed design is shown in the FIGURE and described by use of the following numerical references:

part of the closure device being a tamper indicating means 1

fixing element 2 of the part of the closure device 1

closed bottle (vessel) 3

gripper 4 of the part of the closure device 1,

cap 5

slot 6 of the cap 5

collar 7 of the closed bottle (vessel) 3

fixing ring 8 of the collar of the closed bottle 7,

lug 9 of the fixing element 2

thread 10 of the collar 7

sealing lug(s) 11 of the cap 5

corrugation 12 of the cap 5

corrugation 13 of the gripper 4

indent 14 of the cap 5

thread 15 of the cap 5

The above technical solution is achieved with the design of a closure device that includes a cap 5 and a tamper indicating means 1 fixed to the cap 5 through loose strength connection, and this tamper indicating means 1 being equipped with a fixing element 2 and a gripper 4 fixed in the cap wall. The closure device additionally contains a joint responsible for formation and/or distribution of liquid flow made as a splitter, for example; therefore being one of the significant features determining technical results, i.e., increased convenience in use. The closure device contains a dispensing means of liquid flow made as a dispenser, therefore being one of the significant features determining technical results, i.e., increased convenience in use.

A part of the closure device is a tamper indicating means 1 that is manufactured as a closed or unclosed cylinder. A fixing element 2 has a lug 9 located on the opposite side versus the side with the loose strength connection. The lug 9 runs along the entire cylinder circumference in equal or unequal intervals. The lug 9 of the fixing element 2 is fixed to the part of the closure device being a tamper indicating means 1 through a strong connection or connection with a loose perforated strength and is made as a truncated cone thus creating an angle between the walls of the part of the closure device being a tamper indicating means 1 and the lug walls. The attribute angle varies from 5 to 175 degrees depending on the device operation conditions.

The fixing element 2 interacts with the parts of the closed bottle (vessel) collar 7 through engaging the fixing element 2 lug against the collar parts, that is necessary to limit the movement of the closure device along the longitudinal axis. The fixing element 2 also interacts with the lower surface of the closed bottle collar fillet through engaging the fixing element 2 lug against the collar fillet, that is necessary to limit the movement of the closure device along the longitudinal axis.

The closed bottle collar 7 comprises lugs made capable of interacting with the lugs of the part of the closure device being a tamper indicating means 1, and/or with lugs of the fixing element 2 of this part, at that all lugs are of such a configuration, for example, slant orientation along the horizontal axis of the device, which limits the rotation of the part made as a tamper indicating means 1 with one direction only. The cap of the closure device is made as a cylinder closed at one butt end, thus forming an internal cavity, and one upper wall. The surfaces of the internal cavity walls are covered with single-start thread or multiple-start thread or a lug(s) and/or a hitch(es) engaging with the thread 10 or the lugs and/or hitches of the closed bottle collar.

A ring-shaped sealing lug(s) 11 is embedded on the surface of the upper wall of the internal cavity. The outer surface, versus the complete device, of the separable part of the closure device is corrugated. The gripper 4 of the part of the closure device being a tamper indicating means 1 is corrugated symmetrically or asymmetrically, with the cap 5 corrugated.

A butt end of the cap 5 has an indent. The cap 5 is equipped with a slot 6 to fix a gripper; the configuration of the slot 6 allows to flush the gripper 4 of the part of the closure device being a tamper indicating means 1.

The tamper indicating means 1 may be made of polymeric materials of contrast or different color compared with the color of the cap 5 of the closure device. The gripper 4 of the part of the closure device being a tamper indicating means 1, located in the slot 6 of the cap 5 of the closure device is oriented with a slant along the longitudinal axis of the closure device.

The cap 5 of the closure device contains an additional polymeric gasket and/or a sleeve. The thread 10 of the collar 7 of the closed bottle and/or the cap 5 of the closure device has grooves required to remove gases emitted while opening sparkle liquids.

Operation and interaction of the device elements is described as follows. In the closed state, the device tightness is ensured by the cap 5, which has a lug(s) 12, made capable of engaging with a collar 7.

With the closure device in the closed state, the lug 9 of the fixing element 2 engages with the lugs 10 of the collar 7, and the gripper 4 in the slot 6.

When opening the closure device, the part 1 of the closure device is partially destroyed, because the closure device cannot be opened without being damaged, this is visually recognized and thus the opening control is achieved.

This apparatus ensures high output capacity, affordable price, increased level of protection against an unauthorized opening, as well as the improved convenience in use.

The design of the closure device described herein and shown in the figures is not the only possible one capable of solving the above technical task, and does not prevent other embodiment variants, containing a set of indications included into the utility model. 

1. A closure device, comprising: a cap; and a tamper indicating means fixed to the cap through loose strength connection, and the tamper indicating means being equipped with a fixing element and a gripper fixed in the cap wall.
 2. The closure device of claim 1, further comprising a joint responsible for formation and/or distribution of liquid flow made as a splitter.
 3. The closure device of claim 1, further comprising a joint responsible for dispensing liquid flow made as a dispenser.
 5. The closure device of claim 1, wherein a part of the closure device is made as a closed or unclosed cylinder.
 6. The closure device of claim 1, wherein the fixing element comprises a lug located on the opposite side versus the side with the loose strength connection, the lug extending along the entire cylinder circumference in equal or unequal intervals.
 7. The closure device of claim 6, wherein the lug of the fixing element is fixed to the part of the closure device through a strong connection or connection with a loose perforated strength and is configured as a truncated cone thus creating an angle between the walls of the part of the closure device being a tamper indicating and the lug walls, the attribute angle varying from 5 to 175 degrees based on the device operation conditions.
 8. The closure device of claim 1, wherein the fixing element is configured to interact with part of a closed bottle collar through engaging the fixing element lug against the collar, that is necessary to limit the movement of the closure device along the longitudinal axis.
 9. The closure device of claim 1, wherein the fixing element is configured to interact with a lower surface of a closed bottle collar fillet through engaging the fixing element lug against the collar fillet, that is necessary to limit the movement of the closure device along the longitudinal axis.
 10. The closure device of claim 9, wherein the closed bottle collar comprises lugs made capable of interacting with the lugs of the closure device, and/or with lugs of the fixing element of this part, at that all lugs are of such a configuration, for example, slant orientation along the horizontal axis of the device, which limits the rotation of the part made as a tamper indicating means only with direction.
 11. The closure device of claim 9, wherein: the cap of the closure device is configured as a cylinder closed from one butt end, thus forming an internal cavity, and one upper wall; and surfaces of the internal cavity walls are covered with single-start thread or multiple-start thread or a lug(s) and/or a hitch(es) engaging with the thread or the lugs and/or hitches of the closed bottle collar.
 12. The closure device 11 wherein a ring-shaped sealing lug is embedded on the surface of the upper wall of the internal cavity.
 13. The closure device of claim 1, wherein only an outer surface of the cap of the closure device is corrugated.
 14. The closure device of claim 1, wherein the gripper is corrugated symmetrically or asymmetrically versus a cap corrugation pattern.
 15. The closure device of claim 1, wherein a butt end of the cap has an indent.
 16. The closure device of claim 1, wherein the cap is equipped with a slot to fix a gripper so that the slot allows is flush to the gripper.
 17. The closure device of claim 1, wherein the device is made of polymeric materials of contrast or different color compared to the color of the cap of the closure device.
 18. The closure device of claim 1, wherein a slot of the cap of the closure device is oriented with a slant along the longitudinal axis the closure device.
 19. The closure device of claim 1, wherein the cap of the closure device contains an additional polymeric gasket and/or a sleeve.
 20. The closure device of claim 1, wherein a thread of a collar of the closed bottle or the separable part of the closure device has grooves required to remove gases emitted while opening sparkle liquids. 